Students study their history

A way of thinking about Black History might be by listening to young, African American voices--the future---see video of Mckissack students talk about their art!

Samuel Dunson, Jodi Hays and Ash Lusk at opening

Tennessean covers Call and Response

Call and Response Gallery walk-through

Call and Response at TSU

Hiram Van Gordon Gallery celebrates Black History Month

Call and Response
February 4-29, 2008

TSU's Department of Art and Watkins College of Art
partner for anArt Crawl and Opening Reception
Feb 8, 3-5pm (TSU), 6-8 (Watkins)

Community Responses to Tennessee State University’s
Permanent Collection of African Art
(African Artifacts from the Ruth Witt Collection
and Dr. Richard and Mrs. Sharon Edwards Collection)


What is a collection?
What role does context play in viewing a collection?
How do we comment on the past through the present?

In music, a call a response is composed of two distinct phrases, usually played by different musicians, where the second phrase is a direct response to the first. This tradition is found in West African cultures as a form of democratic participation. Africans brought this to the New World, as seen today in the roots of gospel, blues, and jazz (to name only a few).

Tennessee State University's Hiram Van Gordon Gallery has invited, or issued a “call” to two Nashville artists, TSU Art Professor, Sam Dunson and students at McKissack Elementary. The call was to view, examine, and absorb our permanent Collection of African Art. Community Artists-In-Residence, Ash Lusk (TSU Alum) and Sabine Schlunk, and children from Su Williams' Fourth grade class, along with select art faculty have made responses to the gallery’s call, a visual contextualization of the collection. The exhibition includes their work shown alongside items from the permanent collection.

Jodi Hays, Curator, Hiram Van Gordon Gallery

Rubberneckers in Oregon!

and the coverage in on it's original tennessee stint

News from David Lipscomb- way early

April 21, 2008 the Ezell Center, Room 301, Lipscomb will host the Presidential Lectures on Art and Art History featuring Donald Kuspit.